The
Planned Parenthood in Flint, in a modest brick building off a lonely
stretch of highway, might not seem like an obvious first stop for a
resident concerned about the strangely colored, bad smelling water that
started coming out of taps in the city in early 2014.

But
for those who work inside, tackling the issue of access to potable
water was a no brainer once patients began voicing concerns. As a
preventative health organization with deep roots in the local community,
the conversation came naturally.

After
hearing reports from their patients about chemicals in the water, the
clinic sprang into action months before any state of emergency was
declared, handing out water filters and teaching people how to use them.

“We’re
more than just a reproductive health organization, we work for
reproductive justice,” explained Christina Soliz, field organizer with
Planned Parenthood of Mid and South Michigan. “Having access to clean,
safe water is a reproductive justice issue. It affects your health.
Families deserve better than this.”

As
the crisis continues to unfold — residents are still being tested for
lead exposure, and the effects might not show up for years — Planned
Parenthood will continue to focus on educating patients. But years of
political attacks and austerity have gutted the resources it has at its
disposal. Conservatives’ fixation on its abortion services has turned
the organization into a political football. Presidential candidate Ted
Cruz, who led the charge in the Senate to shut down the government over Planned Parenthood’s funding, launched his campaign’s water distribution efforts at Flint’s crisis pregnancy centers, which seek to divert women from Planned Parenthood with misleading or outright false information.

Michigan
funding for pregnancy prevention — some of which goes to Planned
Parenthood — has dropped from more than $7 million in 2001 to just a bit
over $600,000 as of 2012, with the most dramatic cut in 2009 when it
was reduced by more than 75 percent. The cuts came as Planned Parenthood
has been specifically targeted by Michigan lawmakers: last year, the
state House passed a bill
banning the organization from receiving state funding, even though it
doesn’t allocate any dollars to Planned Parenthood as it is.

“We’re
seeing the effects of [austerity measures] in a lot of different
places,” Tunde Olaniran, outreach manager, said. “In Flint, there was a
drastic cut and we’re trying to slowly rebuild.”

SNIP

“People
who walk in the door — they’re people, so we wanted to address
something that was a huge issue,” Olaniran said. “We’re trying to make
sure we care about the entire lives of people who come into our doors.”

1 comment:

Yet ANOTHER stellar example of GOP/Republican governance in 21st Century America!ACORN ...an organization that empowered "We THE PEOPLE" by encouraging and helping US citizens to register to vote ...GONE ...GOP/Republican relentless demonetization, lies and did I mention ...doctored videos!

Let's not be willfully ignorant of the evil these folks have done to USA IN 21st Century America to date!

About Me

"Blue" in Blue in the Bluegrass refers to my politics, not my state of mind, although being progressive-democratic in Kentucky is not for the faint of heart.
The Bluegrass Region of Kentucky is Central Kentucky, the area around Lexington. It's also sometimes known as the Golden Triangle, the region formed by Louisville in the west, Cincinnati in the north and Lexington in the east-south corner. This is the most economically advanced, politically progressive and aesthically beautiful area of the state. Also the most overpopulated by annoying yuppies and the most endangered by urban sprawl.
A Yellow Dog Democrat is one who will vote for even a yellow dog if it is running as a Democrat. I can't claim to be quite that fanatically partisan, especially since quite a few candidates who run as Democrats in Kentucky are more Republican than a lot of Republicans I can name.
But I do love the story Kentucky House leader Rocky Adkins never tires of telling about the old-timer in Eastern Kentucky who was once accused of being willing to vote for Satan if Satan ran as a Democrat. Spat back the old-timer:
"Not in a primary, I wouldn't!"
Amen.